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As PWInsider.com noted when Dwayne Johnson announced WBD would not be moving forward with his version of Black Adam in the next chapter of DC films under James Gunn and Peter Saffron, it was something of a conciliatory message of someone who wouldn't be moving forward from a position of power.
Indeed, yesterday, Variety took a deep dive into Johnson's maneuverings to gain power within DC with his pitch for his own vision for future film installments, primarily based around the idea of Black Adam vs. Superman, as portrayed by Henry Cavill, playing out over multiple future films.
The article noted that Johnson went directly to the head of WBD, David Zaslav, bypassing others in charge of the DC Studios at the time, which did result in Cavill returning for a cameo during a post-credits Black Adam scene and Cavill announcing his return as The Man of Steel. Unfortunately, all that was quickly undone after James Gunn and Peter Saffron were empowered as the co-heads of DC Studios just as Black Adam was hitting theaters. The currently planned DC direction does not include either Cavill or Johnson.
The Variety article noted that Johnson going around everyone directly to Zaslav "didn't sit well" and that the Black Adam's higher costs (since it was tied to a higher priced talent, himself) led to less profits at the box office, which didn't help. The film made $391 million worldwide, but according to Variety, that was with a $195 budget and an additional $40 million in reshoots.
The article also noted:
"Meanwhile, the Johnson-Warners relationship already was wearing thin after Johnson pushed for a producing credit on the animated film “DC League of Super-Pets,” which opened in July, but did little to promote it.
The actor also insisted on a tequila bar at the New York premiere of “Black Adam” featuring his Teremana brand, despite the film being rated PG-13."
“His demands increased and the returns just weren’t there,” notes another insider.
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